So Much More (Made for Love #3) (32 page)

I roll my eyes at her. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

“Sure it does,” she insists as she continues her hunt for her first purchase. “It proves that he doesn’t care how desperate he looks, he’s going to text you until he’s got your attention back. Men as attractive as yours don’t do desperate. They don’t need to. They’re too damn hot for their own good.”

“Well, what if he doesn’t keep texting? What if he assumes I’m busy and he decides to just wait? Does that automatically mean that he
doesn’t
completely reciprocate my feelings?”

She smirks at me. “That’s not going to happen. Don’t you worry.”

“Aria, this is silly. It’s also manipulative.”

“You’re just saying that because you know I’m right and you’re nervous about what we’ll find when we look at your phone in the next three minutes,” she says with a laugh.

I want to argue with her, but she’s right. Regardless of whether or not this silly game speaks one way or another about Brandon’s feelings for me, I do hope that in the next two and a half minutes, my phone won’t be void of any new messages. At the very least, I want him to feel as desperate for me as I feel for him. My fingers are itching with impatience to continue our text exchange. He invited me over. I haven’t slept in his arms since Tuesday. Wednesday I had kickboxing and Thursday I closed up shop while he went out with some of his friends. Tonight—

“Damn, girl, you’re as fidgety as a cat!” she says, handing me my phone. “Four minutes will have to suffice. So?”

I look down at my screen and grin at what I find. I hold it up so she can see and she laughs. “Brandon and Sarah sitting a tree,” she sings. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes
love!
”

I ignore her as I open my new messages.

Brandon:
I could always come to you, if you want.

Brandon:
You aren’t going to make me beg, are you Sunshine?

Brandon:
I would…

Brandon
: Baby?

Me:
Black or red?

Brandon:
???

Me:
Just pick a color.

Brandon:
Red.

Me:
Leave the light on for me…

“D
ID THAT HURT?”

I look up from my phone at Sage and scowl. I have no idea what he’s talking about. “What?” I ask, sliding my mobile into my pocket.

“That tat on your forehead. You know, the one that says,
Pussy-Whipped.
”

I flip him off and laugh with him at the same time. “Shut up.”

“Seriously, you should see what you look like when you’re texting her. She’s got your balls.”

“No shit! I sure as hell am not complaining, though.”

He studies me as he folds his arms across his chest and leans up against the front counter, turning his back to the lobby that’s only got a handful of people left. We’ll be closing in about an hour. After that last text exchange with Sarah, nine o’clock can’t come soon enough.

“Fuck, man,” Sage mutters, pulling me back into our conversation. “You’re not kidding around. You’re for real about her.”

“You’re not seriously just now figuring that out, are you?” I ask with a smirk.

“No, I mean, like—you love her and shit.”

I let my silence speak on my behalf. I won’t deny it. I’m not embarrassed about it. It’s the truth. Sarah’s above and beyond anything I ever dared to want in a woman.

For so long I had my head up my ass while I let Olivia mistreat my heart. I held on to her for years and, in the end, all I got was grief. I was a kid when I fell in love with her. I was blinded by our history and my hope that it would stand for something—that our relationship would one day mean as much to her as it did to me. But Olivia is selfish. She doesn’t know how to love. She always took more than she gave. I let her, until she took things too far and there was no more room for
I’m sorry.
She managed to strip away any and all meaning in those words.

Now I have Sarah. Sarah gives before she takes. She’s genuine and honest. She’s sweet and funny. When she looks at me, she’s got this way of making me feel like I’m important to her—like I mean something to her in a way that no one else does. I cherish that look because what I see in those big blue eyes is a reflection of what she means to me. I want her.

No. I fucking need her.

She’s become the air I breathe. I can barely sleep without her. I think about her all the time. When I’m with her, I have to be touching her. When I’m not, I can’t wait until the next time we meet. I see her every day and yet it still doesn’t seem like I’m getting enough.

Then, of course, there’s the way she gives herself to me. I’m learning her body. She’s gorgeous. I’ve thought so since the moment I laid eyes on her—but when she’s in my bed, stripped bare and vulnerable, she’s the sexiest and the most beautiful woman I’ve ever had the privilege of touching. The very fact that she’s allowing me to give her so many first time experiences, allowing me to tread in unchartered waters, it makes her mine more than she’s ever been anyone else’s. We haven’t had sex yet, but I’m not in any hurry.

When I make love to her, I intend to claim her forever. Once she lets me bury myself inside of her, there’s no turning back. I won’t let her go. I already know that she’ll ruin me for anyone else.

She already has.

“Part of me wants to give you a hard time,” says Sage. “But I can’t. You’re one lucky dude. Sarah’s the shit.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

“I owe her big time for getting Millie to go out with me.”

“You really like this one. I’ve never seen you try so hard.”

“It’s like I said, man—she’s insane,” he says with a grin. “She’s wicked smart and sexy as fuck. Sarah was right, though. She’s got her guard up all the time. I’ve got my work cut out for me. But I know she’s worth it. I just have to get her to see that I am, too.”

“Good luck with that, man. Seriously. I hope it works out for you.”

“Thanks.”

We chat for a few more minutes before I head to the back to get things ready to close up. It stays pretty quiet out front, for which I’m grateful. I’m anxious to get out of here tonight. Even though things stay calm, it feels like it takes forever for nine o’clock to roll around. When it does, Sage and I hurry through the nightly checklist and head out at a quarter after.

When I get home, I decide to take a quick shower. The hot water relaxes me and when I step out, I’m blindsided by my exhaustion. I decide to lay down while I wait for Sarah. I leave the door unlocked and the bedside lamp on. I expect she’ll be here any minute.

I’m startled out of my sleep when I feel her crawl into bed with me. She’s turned the light out so I can hardly see her, but I can feel her skin press against mine and I know she’s come to me in nothing but something
pretty
and
red
. I pull her close and she hooks one of her legs over mine as she rests her cheek against my chest.

“Hey, babe, go back to sleep.”

“What time is it?” I mumble.

“Ten thirty. I’m sorry I’m so late. I decided to pack a few things—enough to stay the weekend. I hope that’s alright.”

“Sweet girl, you can stay as long as you’d like.” I try to keep my eyes open, but it’s a battle I can’t seem to win. “My bed is your bed.”

She tilts her head back and presses a kiss against my chin.

I can’t say for sure if I reach for her mouth with my own or if I just think about it before I’m asleep again. When the alarm clock sounds at a quarter to five, it’s Sarah who crawls over me to turn it off. The feel of her silky soft skin pressed against mine is a glorious way to wake up. Before she can pull away, I wrap her in my arms and pin her beneath me. Her groggy laugh makes me want to kiss her.

“Well, hello there,” she says with a smile. “Someone’s up.”

I wink at her before I press my erection between her legs.

“It’s not nice to tease me,” she murmurs, reaching up to run her fingers through my hair.

I love it when she does that
.

I show my appreciation by rubbing up against her once more.

“Brandon,” she sighs, wrapping her legs around me.

“Tell me what you want, baby.”

“We don’t have time.”

I bring my mouth to hers and kiss her slowly. She returns my affection, stroking her tongue against mine, neither of us bothered by the fact that we’ve yet to brush our teeth.
This
is how every morning should start. I rub up against her again, this time eliciting her sweet moan. I drag my lips away from her mouth and down to her ear.

“Two minutes. That’s all I need, sweet girl, is two minutes. Tell me what you want.”

“Um…”

I tease her again, this time reaching to cup my hand around her pussy. I stifle my groan when I find her panties are already soaked through. “Fuck, Sarah—what do you want, baby? What’s got you so wet? Tell me. Do you want my fingers? Or is it my mouth you’re dreaming of?”

“Your mouth,” she finally whispers. “I want your mouth.”

A smirk tugs at my lips before I press a kiss against her lips. “It would be my pleasure,” I tell her before disappearing underneath the sheets.

She’s delectable. If my girl smells like sunshine, she tastes like summer. I decide to go a little slower—I take
three
minutes instead of two, savoring every drop of her arousal. The sound she makes as she comes undone is almost guttural, as if it’s coming from the deepest depths of her core. It’s wild and so fucking sexy. When my work is done, I trace my way up her body with soft kisses. She reaches for my face and pulls my mouth back to hers. I kiss her so that she can taste herself on my lips and tongue.

“What about you?” she wonders, pulling away abruptly.

“I’ll take a cold shower.”

She frowns at me. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

I chuckle as I sit up. “I appreciate your concern, but I think you underestimate how much enjoyment we
both
get when I go down on you.”

“Really?” she asks, propping herself up on her elbows. “You’re not just saying that?”

“I’d never lie to you,” I assure her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Do you think I would like it as much as you do?”

I watch as her eyes travel from mine, down to the bulge in my briefs, then back up to my eyes. I shake my head and stand before my mind is flooded with images of her mouth wrapped around my dick. “Now
that
isn’t fair. You can’t put ideas like that in my head, Sunshine.”

“I’m serious! I’ve never done it before.”

I groan, scraping my hands down my face. “You’re killing me. We don’t have time.”

She cocks her head and smiles at me. “You mean I couldn’t make you happy in two minutes? On second thought, make that five, since it’s my first time.”

Dammit—with that mouth, I probably wouldn’t last thirty seconds.

“Shit. Sarah, do you have any idea how hard it is for me to say no to you? I swear, a part of me is dying right now. A slow, cruel, painful death.”

She crawls out of bed and stands in front of me, hooking her thumbs into the top of my briefs before she starts pushing them down. “Then stop saying no,” she whispers.

She lowers herself to her knees and my heart is pounding so hard, I wonder if she can
see
it coming through my chest. I stare down at her, not sure whether or not I should believe that this is actually happening, and watch as she takes a deep breath.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to,” she insists, looking up at me. “I just got a little nervous, that’s all. Give me a second.” Her tongue slides over her top lip as she stares at my cock. It’s ready, waiting, and wanting. “So, um, you’ll come in my mouth?”

God—what did I do to deserve this sweet girl? The way she’s looking at me right now? I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for anything in my entire life.

“Baby, it’s your world. We can do this however you want.”

“Okay,” she says before taking another deep breath. “If it’s better for you, um, I think I want you to. Will I…choke?”

Fuck. My sweet girl. So pure. So innocent.

“Just relax your throat, okay?”

She nods before she wraps her lips around the tip and runs her tongue over my sensitive flesh.